WASHINGTON (TNND) — The Trump administration is raising new doubts about America’s future in NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as tensions with European allies grow over the Iran conflict and their reluctance to get involved.
In an interview with The Telegraph, President Donald Trump suggested the U.S. could move to leave the decades-old alliance, calling NATO a “paper tiger” and saying continued participation was “beyond reconsideration.”
Hours before the interview, Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed that frustration. In an interview with Sean Hannity on Tuesday, Rubio questioned the value of the alliance if European partners are unwilling to provide military support or allow the U.S. access to key bases during a crisis.
“When we need them to allow us to use their military bases, their answer is no. Then why are we in NATO?” Rubio said to Fox News, and said that NATO was a “one-way street.”
“After this conflict is concluded, we are going to have to reexamine that relationship,” he added.
The criticism comes as the U.S. remains deeply involved in the escalating conflict with Iran, particularly after disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz — a critical global shipping route responsible for roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply. Iran effectively shut down the passage for weeks, driving up gas prices and raising fears of a broader economic slowdown.
Despite the stakes, several NATO allies — including the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain — have stopped short of joining U.S. military efforts tied to the conflict.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer responded swiftly to the White House’s comments, making clear Britain would not be pulled further into the conflict.
“Whatever the noise, I’m going to act in the British national interest,” Starmer said. “This is not our war, and we’re not going to get dragged into it.”
While Trump has floated the idea of withdrawing from NATO numerous times before, actually leaving the alliance would be a complex and politically fraught process and could drive world leaders into an uncertain geopolitical future.
Under a 2023 U.S. law, a president cannot unilaterally exit the alliance. Congress would need to approve withdrawal with a two-thirds majority vote — 60 lawmakers — in the Senate, meaning bipartisan support would be required to end the nearly 80-year-old treaty.